Pinaka veena

Pinak, a bowed musical bow.
Pinak vs bīn, 1810

"The essential difference between this instrument and the been is that, in the place of chords it has but one string of wire, strongly stretched. To draw out the sound, a bow like that of a bass is prest upon this chord, at the same time that another part of it is struck or rubbed with a little stick.

Frans Balthazar Solvyns, [1]

The pināka vīnā (Hindi: पिनाक pinnak + Hindi: वीणा veena) was an Indian musical instrument, a musical bow that was itself played with a bow. It has also been transliterated pinaki vina and pinak.[2][3]

It appeared similar to the rudra veena (also called "bīn" or "been"), with a long bar held over the musician's shoulder and resting on the ground, with large gourds attached at each end for resonators. However, where the rudra veena has multiple strings and frets, the pinaka vina had only one string made of wire and no frets.[1] Where the rudra veena was a stick zither (with a straight and rigid bar for the instrument's body), the pinaka vīnā was a musical bow (its body a long stick turned up at each end).

The instrument was sounded with a bow.[1] The musician chose notes with a stick held against the strings,[1] able to slide it up and down on the string, in the same way a bottle slides on a slide guitar's strings.

  • Ragaputra Sarang painting, from Bundi, showing "The Divine Musician plays a pinaki vīnā."
    Ragaputra Sarang painting, from Bundi, showing "The Divine Musician plays a pinaki vīnā."
  • A bīn or kuplyans in Solvyn's 1799 publication. Plucked stick zither with two strings. The word kuplyans is "limited to Bengal."[4]
    A bīn or kuplyans in Solvyn's 1799 publication. Plucked stick zither with two strings. The word kuplyans is "limited to Bengal."[4]
  • 1808-1812. Illustration of a bīn, labeled "qaplious". Plucked stick zither.
    1808-1812. Illustration of a bīn, labeled "qaplious". Plucked stick zither.
  • India, 1807. Pinak, a bowed musical bow.
    India, 1807. Pinak, a bowed musical bow.
  1. ^ a b c d Joep Bor (1986–1987). "The Voice of the Sarangi, An Illustrated History of Bowing in India". National Center for Performing Arts Quarterly Journal. 15 & 16: 38–47. [Three issues of this quarterly journal were combined into one; Volume 15 (issues 3 and 4) and Volume 16 (issue 1).]
  2. ^ Alastair Dock (1984). "Pināk". In Sadie, Stanley (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. Volume 3.
  3. ^ Sadie, Stanley, ed. (1984). "Vina". The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. Volume 3. ...pināka or pinākī vīnā... the medieval Sanskrit pinākī and the later northern pināk is a bowed bow
  4. ^ Robert L. Hardgrave, Jr. "François Balthazar Solvyns: A Flemish Artist in Bengal". IIAS Newsletter. International Institute for Asian Studies: 15.